The final will be held at the Leeds College of Building between 14 and 16 September after the competitors secured their places by coming out top of their fields in 14 regional heats held in April and May.
More than 800 bricks, nine tonnes of mortar, one lorry-load of materials, 15 gallons of paint, 30 cubic metres of wood and eight blocks of stone will be used in the final as the trainees compete to be judged the best in their trade.
Categories at this year’s final include bricklaying, cabinet making, carpentry, drywall systems, joinery, painting and decorating, plastering, stonemasonry, roofing and wall and floor tiling.
The competition, managed by CITB-ConstructionSkills and endorsed by WorldSkills UK, aims to showcase the best talent the industry has to offer and attract new recruits into the sector.
Judy Lowe, Deputy Chairman of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said:
“Around 1,300 competitors took part in the regional heats and the trainees who have made it through to the final are now training twice a week for four hours at a time in preparation for this last stage of the competition.
“SkillBuild 2011 offers construction employers the opportunity to showcase their most talented trainees, as well as highlighting their commitment to training and excellence which help to provide them with a competitive edge in the current climate.
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“CITB-ConstructionSkills is working to bring new blood into the industry and deliver the right skills for economic growth locally and nationally and this year’s competition will help to attract new recruits to the sector.
“SkillBuild 2011 will showcase the professionalism and quality of the UK construction industry and is a great opportunity for the trainees to boost their career, hone their skills and prove they are the best in the trade.”
This year’s final promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with SummitSkills’ Skill M&E event also taking place a the Leeds College of Building at the same time.
SkillBuild is part of the WorldSkills UK competition, which is a series of around 70 quality assured skills competitions which take place in a diverse range of sectors from Construction and the Built Environment to Cultural and Creative Arts.
Outstanding competitors from this year’s competition could be selected to represent the UK at the next WorldSkills competition, which is due to take place in Leipzig, Germany in 2013.
They will be following in the footsteps of previous SkillBuild winners who will be taking part in this year’s WorldSkills competition on 5-8 October 2011 at ExCel in London.
Main sponsors for SkillBuild 2011 include British Gypsum, Crown Paints Ltd, the National Federation of Roofing Contractors and Stabila.
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